Stephen Albair

Artist Statement

Life's ambiguities, human behavior, love, loss and longing have become the subject matter for my artwork. The images mimic tableau photography as they are created in limited space. Found objects speak to me like the words of a poem. The narratives/stories evolve through an intense engagement with materials, art history and meaningful content.

Working in limited space I position objects like the actors on a stage, with a momentary pause in the action. The camera records this action, which seems closer to sculpture and painting than photography. Using only natural sunlight, my 35mm camera and found objects, I insert myself into the dialogue created by the objects.

The collage techniques coupled with bright contrasting colors make the photographs appear otherworldly, yet with elements of realism. The process to create a single image can take up to 3 months from start to finish. The resulting images reveal and conceal ideas that rely on the viewer's personal experiences for interpretation. Often, the staged objects create a mood, a feeling of expectation that something has just happened - or is about to.

Stephen Albair